Binational Center Present at Arizona/Sonora Border 2012 Waste and Enforcement Task Force Meeting in Rio Rico, Arizona

On March 8, 2006 Program Coordinator, Denise Moreno presented the Binational Center for Environmental Sciences and Toxicology (Binational Center) at the Arizona/Sonora Border 2012 Waste and Enforcement Task Force Meeting in Rio Rico, Arizona.

Courtesy of EPA’s US – Mexico Waster Management Coordinator, Emily Pimental, Denise Moreno was able to provide information regarding the mission and objectives of the Binational Center to a broad audience consisting of local, state and federal representatives such as:

• Mexico’s Secratariat of the Environment and Natural Resources, SEMARNAT
• Sonora’s Commission on Ecology and Sustainable Development (CEDES)
• Santa Cruz County Fire Fighters
• Mayor and Community members from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico
• Environmental Managers/Enforcement Agents
• EPA Region 9 Officials
• Border industry representatives (maquiladoras)
• Tohono O’odham Nation
• Environmental lawyers

Binational Center Relevance to Border 2012
The mission statement of the U.S Mexico Border 2012 Framework is designed to build upon the existing partnerships among federal, state and local, governments in the United States and Mexico, and with U.S. border tribes, to protect the environment and public health in the U.S.-Mexico border region, consistent with the principles of sustainable development.  Thus the new Binational Center meets various goals of the Border 2012 program, such as: 1) the assessment and characterization of transnational surface water systems as well as the identification of water quality standards that are exceeded as proposed by federal law; 2) the classification and monitoring of air pollution emissions; 3) dedicating research that will help determine the relationship between human disease and environmental exposures to arsenic and other heavy metals.